But Several Expense Categories Far Exceed National Averages

Farm and Ranch Production Expenditures in Nebraska totaled $21.7 billion in 2016, down 4% from a year earlier, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Livestock expenses, the largest expenditure category, at $6.17 billion, decreased 9% from 2015. Rent, the next largest total expense category at $2.56 billion, decreased 1% from 2015. Feed, the third largest expense category, at $2.47 billion, decreased 7% from 2015.

Livestock expenses accounted for 28% of Nebraska's total production expenditures. Rent accounted for 12%, feed 11%, and farm services 9%.

The total expenditures per farm or ranch in Nebraska averaged $448,760 in 2016, down 4% from 2015. The livestock expense category was the leading expenditure, at $127,479 per operation, over 6.5 times the national average. Rent expenditures, at $52,893 per operation, were over 3.5 times the national average. The average feed expenditure, at $51,033, was nearly two times the national average. Farm services expenditures per operation, at $40,909, were two times the national average.

These results are based on data from Nebraska farmers and ranchers who participated in the Agricultural Resource Management Study conducted by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics
Service. Producers were contacted in January through April to collect 2016 farm and ranch expenses.
Access the National publication for this release at: http:/usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/FarmProdEx//2010s/2017/FarmProdEx-08-03-2017.pdf